841. Western front (20:22)

Date:
1942
Main contributors:
Wilding Picture Productions
Summary:
Begins with a short summary of American attitudes to the War in Europe and how the U.S. underestimated the militaristic tendencies of the Japanese. Argues that the Chinese have been fighting World War II longer than any other allied nation and should be considered one of America's chief allies. Describes America's effort to supply allied nations in the Pacific with war materials. The desperate need of the Chinese people is stressed. Scenes include the carrying of supplies over the Burma Road and the bombing of Chinese cities.

842. Wet-Mounting Pictorial Materials (11:43)

Date:
1954
Main contributors:
Indiana U Audio-Visual Center
Summary:
[motion picture] Explains the advantages of wet mounting paper materials on cloth, and then demonstrates the wet-mounting process in detail. Also shows methods of displaying wet-mounted posters, charts, and maps.

843. Wetlands (10:39)

Date:
1944
Main contributors:
United States. Department of Agriculture. Soil Conservation Service
Summary:
A USDA production conveying the department's policy recommendations for the development of unusable wetlands into productive agricultural land. Narration explains that, for much of the year, land with "too much water with nowhere to go" is rendered unsuitable for farming. Engineering the draining of 31 million acres for the creation of productive agricultural land represents "one of the last great frontiers of America." Various drainage techniques are explained in detail: ditches, tile systems, and the creation of mole channels. "Shows where our 120 million acres of wet land are located. Points out that 78 million of these acres will serve us best if left in their natural state for the production of timber and the preservation of wildlife. Thirty-one million acres are shown to be suited to farming if properly drained. A section of the film illustrates briefly the principal types of water control and methods of land drainage. Through the use of these methods, farmers, working together, can improve drainage on land now being farmed, and bring into production land that is now too wet for any production at all. Recommended audiences: Farmers in Atlantic Seaboard and Gulf States; Ohio, Mississippi, and Missouri Valleys" (Motion Pictures of the United States Department of Agriculture, 1945, 46).

844. Whales and whalermen (21:54)

Date:
1957
Summary:
Depicts a whale hunt in the Indian Ocean off the coast of South Africa. Shows life on board the whaler and events preparatory to the finding and killing of these mammals. Explains that whaling is an important industry centered at the port of Durban in South Africa.

845. What to do in a gas attack (15:03)

Date:
1943
Main contributors:
Price, Sherman
Summary:
Explains what war gas is, how it is used by the enemy, and how simple household items, such as bicarbonate of soda and bleaching solution, may be used to prevent casualties.

846. What to do on a date (10:57)

Date:
1951
Main contributors:
Coronet Instructional Films
Summary:
Suggests suitable dating activities for teen-agers by showing how Nick and Kay make a double date out of preparing for a scavenger sale. Discusses the social value of group participation in "coming activities" sponsored by the school, and lists other non-commercial activities in which mixed groups can become acquainted in an atmosphere conducive to socially acceptable behavior.

847. Wheat Belt (16:03)

Date:
1963
Main contributors:
Indiana U Audio-Visual Center
Summary:
[motion picture] Describes the winter and spring wheat regions of the plains states. Compares a winter wheat farm in south central Kansas and a spring wheat farm in northeastern North Dakota. Relates wheat farming to topography, soils, precipitation, and other factors.

848. Wheels across India (30:30)

Date:
unknown/unknown
Main contributors:
Unknown
Summary:
Shot in Burma during the Denis-Roosevelt Asiatic Expedition (1939), led by filmmaker Armand Denis and his wife Leila Roosevelt. In Rangoon, views of the Shive Dagon Pagoda and huge bamboo irrigation water wheels are seen, as well as the temples, pagodas and bas-reliefs featuring snake motifs at the Pegan ruins. The ornamentation and neck wraps of Karen women are shown. A survey of the teak industry follows, including the training of elephants for logging work. The final sequence focuses on a Burmese priestess (Shan) who must supplicate a king cobra to appease the snake God.

849. When in Rome (10:00)

Date:
1932
Summary:
A travelogue of Rome. Captures ancient sites of the city, Roman society, the Fascist population, and intimate scenes of Benito Mussolini at home with his children.

850. When work is done (09:04)

Date:
1943
Main contributors:
United States. Office of War Information. Domestic Branch. Bureau of Motion Pictures
Summary:
Tells how Sylacauga, Alabama, a small town crowded with war plant workers, solved its housing and recreation problems.

852. Wilderness encampment (27:57)

Date:
1973
Summary:
Follows the activities of a group of international Girl Scouts at a wilderness encampment in an Oregon national forest. Shows how they prepare for and take a five-day hike into the Three Sisters' Wilderness Area of Oregon without adult leaders. Quotations from their evaluation session are heard.

853. Wings up (21:33)

Date:
1943
Main contributors:
United States. Army Air Forces. Motion Picture Unit, 1st
Summary:
The story of the twelve weeks of discipline, concentrated study and hard work leading to graduation from the Officers' Candidate School of the U.S. Army Air Forces and the rank of second lieutenant.

854. Winning your wings (18:32)

Date:
1942
Main contributors:
Stewart, James, 1908-1997
Summary:
Starring Lt. James Stewart, this WWII recruitment film shows jobs, training and education provided to men between the ages of 18 and 26 who enlist in the U.S. Army Air Forces.

855. Women at war (10:08)

Date:
1941
Main contributors:
Hemingway, Mary Welsh, 1908-1986
Summary:
Produced for an American audience, the film explores the role of women in the war effort and thanks America for sending relief bundles to the victims of the London Blitz. Shows British women caring for evacuee children, working in the land army, as ambulance drivers and auto mechanics, in defense factories, ferrying planes for the R.A.F., and operating rest centers.

856. Words for battle (07:54)

Date:
1941
Main contributors:
Olivier, Laurence, 1907-1989
Summary:
Laurence Olivier's reading of passages from Milton, William Blake, Robert Browning, Rudyard Kipling and Abraham Lincoln accompany scenes of daily life in wartime Britain. The texts selected emphasize national identity and heritage, patriotism, and the justness of the Allied cause.

857. Working With Other Supervisors (07:20)

Date:
1944
Main contributors:
United States. Office of Education. Division of Visual Aids, United States. Federal Security Agency, Mode-Art Pictures, Inc.
Summary:
Dramatized scenarios in a machine shop workplace illustrate common problems arising between supervisors. "Larry Daniels fails as a supervisor because he does not recognize the importance of working harmoniously with other people, particularly with his fellow supervisors" (U.S. Government Films, U.S. Office of Education, 1954, 214). Concludes with a group of supervisors conversing in the locker room as they ask "I wonder if a guy like Larry should be a supervisor?"

858. World of a girl (20:12)

Date:
[1963]
Summary:
Girls from all over the United States tell how they feel about menstruation and how it has affected their lives. Emphasizes that menstruation is natural and healthy.

859. World of plenty (44:42)

Date:
1942
Main contributors:
Rotha, Paul, 1907-1984.
Summary:
Uses found footage and animated diagrams to discuss the production, distribution, and consumption of food; the pre-war problems of overproduction and the anomaly of glutted markets and hungry people; the control exercised over production and distribution during World War II, with special attention to the food supply in Britain and America; and to offer a picture of what might be done in the post-war period.